RELATED APPLICATIONS
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention generally relates to a chair, and in particular, to an orthopedic
chair that is comfortable to use while being able to prevent spinal diseases including
lumbar kyphosis, thoracic kyphosis, sacrum and coccyx misalignment, and herniated
disc.
PRIOR ART
[0003] Document
EP 0698 359 A1 discloses a chair, which has short legs and a seat-surface that is raised on both
sides and if necessary at the front. The front is widened. The armchair is adapted
to the sitter's body-shape. The back of the seat surface has a raised part in the
middle, forming an extension to the sitter's coccyx. The back-rest has an outward
bulge positioned near the sitter's fourth and fifth lumbar vertebra. The seat surface
may also have inward bulges near the two cheeks of the sitter's bottom. Document
US 3 740 096 A teaches an orthopedic seat comprising a lower substantially horizontal seat portion
and an upper substantially vertical back portion rigidly joined to the seat portion.
The lower portion is shaped to act as a base support for the pelvis and sacrum which,
in turn, will act as a base for the lumbar dorsal and cervical vertebrae, and the
back portion is designed to properly position the vertebrae of a person seated on
the lower portion to correct them automatically.
[0004] DE 202 18 142 U1 is about a reclining seat system that has hinged panels supported on a base. The
system has configurations comprising a settee type of seat or a flat, fully reclined
bed. The panels are linked by hinges with the centre panels secured to the base via
a vertical axis, to swing between the bed and settee alignments. The system is also
disclosed in a further embodiment having a reclining seat back, a horizontal seat
and a sloping leg support.
[0005] DE 11 17 274 B also discloses a Seat and backrest construction adapted to the human body.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0006] Data from the British Chiropractic Association says that 32% of the population spends
more than 10 hours a day seated. Together with the long working hour, incorrect seating
postures lead to serious spinal diseases. Another research from the association shows
that 51% of Brits suffer from some form of back pain. Given that, the role of correct
seating positions cannot be clearer; it prevents spinal diseases and reduces back
pain.
[0007] On
November 28th, 2006, BBC News published an article named "Sitting straight bad for
backs". In which, it featured a research done by a group of Scottish and Canadian researchers
confirming that the best sitting position is leaning back, whereas the upper legs
are at an angle of 135 degrees to the spine. With the 135-degree sitting posture,
less strain is placed on the spinal discs and associated muscles and tendons, compared
to the strain in an upright 90-degree sitting position and in a slouching position
where the body bends forward. When strain is placed on the spine, the spinal discs
start to move and misalign. At a 90-degree sitting position, this movement is most
prominent. The discs is least moved when an occupant is sitting back at a 135-degree
sitting position. Therefore, sitting at 135-degree position can prevent spinal diseases.
[0008] Although a 135-degree chair offers the best sitting position, it actually requires
a dedicated design to be comfortable to sit on. It has been found that maintaining
substantially equal pressure distribution throughout the surface area of the body
that is in contact with the chair results in the greater comfort.
[0009] Many chairs that are capable of offering a 135-degree sitting posture have been invented.
US Pat. No. 5,630,648 describes a chair with an adjustable seat back so that an occupant can achieve a
135-degree sitting posture. However, sitting on this chair, the occupant's buttocks
tend to glide forwardly, making the occupant have to put his feet on the ground at
all time to bear the gravity of his body to keep his buttocks in place. Given that,
it is not comfortable to sit on the chair.
[0010] Tilt Seat™ Eco chair is another invention, in which the seat is tilted forwardly
so that an occupant can obtain a 135-degree sitting posture. However, since the chair
does not have a seat back, the occupant actually tends to bend forward, potentially
leading to spinal diseases such as herniated discs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] The present invention provides an orthopedic chair that is comfortable to sit on
and is able to prevent spinal diseases. The said orthopedic chair comprises an ergonomic
seat and an ergonomic seat back. The said seat is mounted on a support that can include
well-known height adjustment means; the support will not be described herein as it
is not included in the invention.
[0012] The said seat is made of non-resilient materials and has a shape that matches the
natural contours of an occupant's buttocks, thighs, and upper legs. In which, the
said seat has its concave backward portion connect to the concave lowest portion of
the said seat back, creating a dedicated concave zone that contours the occupant's
buttocks closely but comfortably. In the center of the seat's concave backward portion
is a small hump that contours tightly the occupant's sacrum and coccyx if his buttocks
are fitting inside the dedicated concave zone.
[0013] The forward portion of the said seat has a wide W-shape that contours the occupant's
upper legs comfortably. In which, the two concave zones of the seat's W-shaped forward
portion contours the back sides of the occupant's upper legs. The center zone of the
seat's W-shaped forward portion is convex and has two functions. The first function
is to prevent the occupant's buttocks from gliding off the seat, keeping the buttocks
stay in the dedicated concave zone. The second function is to encourage the occupant
to fit his buttocks inside the dedicated concave zone, as sitting on the convex center
zone of the W-shaped forward portion is not comfortable.
[0014] Furthermore, to ensure that the occupant always fit his buttocks inside the dedicated
concave zone, the seat is designed to be inclined backwardly in such a way that, when
the occupant intentionally sits on the seat's W-shaped forward portion, his buttocks,
pushed by the gravity force of his body, will gradually glide backward and fit themselves
into the said dedicated concave zone eventually.
[0015] The left side and right side of the seat's W-shaped forward portion are convex so
that they contour the outer sides of the occupant's upper legs. Moreover, the convex
left and right sides of the seat's forward portion keep the upper legs in a correct
position, i.e. inside the two concave zones of the seat's W-shaped forward portion,
since putting the legs on top of the two convex left and right sides is not comfortable.
[0016] The said seat back is also made of non-resilient materials and is ergonomically designed
in such a way that it contours the occupant's back. The seat back tilts backward to
stay at an angle of 135 degrees to the seat.
[0017] The said seat back comprises a lowest portion, as already described above, that is
concave to contour the occupant's buttocks, a middle portion that is convex to contour
the lumbar vertebrae, an upper portion that is concave to contour the thoracic vertebrae,
and a headrest on the top. The left and right edges of the seat back are convex to
keep the occupant's back from bending left or right.
[0018] Here, a proper sitting posture is defined as a posture in which the occupant sits
on the seat of the said chair in such a way that his buttocks fit inside the dedicated
concave zone, his sacrum and coccyx are contoured tightly by the small hump in the
center of the seat's concave backward portion, his two upper legs fit inside the two
concave zones of the seat's W-shaped forward portion, and his back stays at an angle
of 135 degrees to his upper legs and is contoured comfortably by the seat back. When
an occupant is sitting in this proper sitting position, less strain is placed on the
spinal disks and associated muscles and tendons. Given that the seat and the seat
back are ergonomically designed and are made of non-resilient materials, the chair
help the occupant easily and comfortably maintain an angle of 135 degrees between
his back and upper legs over time; in other words, the pelvis stays at an "neutral"
position and the shape of the spine is close to the natural S-shape in a standing
posture. Since the chair keeps an occupant in a proper sitting posture, it is capable
of preventing spinal diseases.
[0019] Moreover, as it is designed ergonomically to contour the occupant's body, the chair
maintains substantially equal pressure distribution throughout the surface area of
the body that is in contact with the chair, resulting that the occupant feels very
comfortable sitting on the chair.
[0020] The brief description above sets forth rather broadly the more important features
of the present invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows
may be better understood, and in order that the present contributions to the art may
be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention
that will be described hereinafter and which will be for the subject matter of the
claims appended hereto. Before explaining the invention in detail, it is to be understood
that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction
and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or
illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of
being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is understood that the phraseology
and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not
be regarded as limiting. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the
conception, upon which disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for
designing other structures, methods, and systems for carrying out the several purposes
of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded
as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the
spirit and scope of the present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] The invention will be better understood when consideration is given to the following
detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings
wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective right-front view of a comfortable orthopedic chair for prevention
of spinal disease according to the invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective left-front view of the chair shown in FIG. 1
FIG. 3 is the same presentation as in FIG. 1 but with reference numbers.
FIG. 4 is the front view of the chair shown in FIG. 1
FIG. 5 is a left view of the chair shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 6 is a cross-section front view of the seat of the chair shown in FIG. 5 taken
along lines A-A
FIG. 7 is a cross-section front view of the seat of the chair shown in FIG. 5 taken
along lines B-B
FIG. 8 is a cross-section top view of the back seat of the chair shown in FIG. 5 taken
along lines C-C
FIG. 9 is a cross-section top view of the back seat of the chair shown in FIG. 5 taken
along lines D-D
FIG. 10 is a cross-section top view of the back seat of the chair shown in FIG. 5
taken along lines E-E
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0022] The present invention provides an orthopedic chair that is comfortable to sit on
and is able to prevent spinal diseases. Referring to FIG.
1, the said chair
100 comprises a seat
200 and a seat back
300. The said seat
200 is mounted on a support that can include well-known height adjustment means; the
support will not be described herein as it is not included in the invention.
[0023] The said seat
200 is made of non-resilient materials and has a shape that matches the natural contours
of an occupant's buttocks, thighs, and upper legs. In which, the said seat has its
concave backward portion, consisting of concave zone
205a and concave zone
205b, connect to the concave lowest portion
302 of the said seat back
300, creating a dedicated concave zone
400 as circled in FIG.
3. The dedicated concave zone
400 contours the occupant's buttocks closely but comfortably. In the center of the seat's
concave backward portion, i.e. between concave zone
205a and concave zone
205b, is a small hump
206 that fits tightly into the occupant's sacrum and coccyx if his buttocks is fitting
inside the dedicated concave zone
400.
[0024] The forward portion of the said seat
200 has a wide W-shape that contours the occupant's upper legs comfortably. In which,
the two concave zones
202a and
202b of the seat's W-shaped forward portion contour the back of the occupant's upper legs.
The center zone
204 of the seat's W-shaped forward portion, i.e. between the two concave zones
202a and
202b, is convex and has two functions. The first function is to snuggle the occupant's
thighs comfortably. The second function is to encourage the occupant to fit his buttocks
inside the dedicated concave zone
400, as sitting on the convex center zone
204 is not comfortable.
[0025] Furthermore, to ensure that the occupant always fit his buttocks inside the dedicated
concave zone
400 while seated, the seat
200 is designed to be inclined backwardly in such a way that, when the occupant intentionally
sits on the forward portion of the seat 200, his buttocks, pushed by the gravity force
of his body, will gradually glide backward and fit themselves into the dedicated concave
zone
400 eventually.
[0026] The left side
203a and the right side
203b of the W-shaped forward portion of the seat
200 are convex so that they contour the outer sides of the occupant's upper legs. Moreover,
the left side
203a and the right side
203b encourage the occupant keeps his upper legs in a correct position, i.e. inside the
concave zones
202a and
202b, since putting the upper legs on top of the two convex sides
203a and
203b is not comfortable.
[0027] The said seat back
300 is also made of non-resilient materials and ergonomically designed in such a way
that it contours the occupant's back comfortably. The seat back tilts backward to
stay at an angle of 135 degrees to the seat, as shown in
FIG. 5 The seat back
300 comprises a lowest portion
302, as already described above, that is concave to contour the occupant's buttocks, a
middle portion
303 that is convex to contour the lumbar vertebrae, an upper portion
305 that is concave to contour the thoracic vertebrae, and a headrest
306 on the top. The left edge
304a and right edge
304b of the seat back
300 are convex to keep the occupant's back from bending left or right.
[0028] Here, a proper sitting posture is defined as a posture in which the occupant sits
on the seat
200 of the said chair
100 in such a way that his buttocks fit inside the dedicated concave zone
400, his sacrum and coccyx are contoured tightly by the small hump
206, his two upper legs fit inside the two concave zones
202a and
202b of the seat's W-shaped forward portion, and his back stays at an angle of 135 degrees
to his legs and is contoured comfortably by the seat back
300. When an occupant is sitting in this proper sitting position, less strain is placed
on the spinal disks and associated muscles and tendons. Since the chair
100 keeps an occupant in a proper sitting posture, it is capable of preventing spinal
diseases. As it is designed ergonomically to contour the occupant's body, the chair
100 maintains substantially equal pressure distribution throughout the surface area of
the body that is in contact with the chair, resulting that the occupants feels very
comfortable sitting on the chair.
1. A chair (100) comprising a seat (200) and a seat back (300) made of non-resilient
materials, in which
- the seat (200) has a shape that matches the natural contours of an occupant's buttocks,
thighs, and upper legs, wherein
- the seat's concave backward portion (205a, 205b) is connected to the concave lowest
portion (302) of the said seat back (300), creating a dedicated concave zone (400)
that contours the occupant's buttocks closely;
- the seat's concave backward portion (205a, 205b) has in its center a small hump
(206) that contours tightly an occupant's sacrum and coccyx if his buttocks are fitting
inside the dedicated concave zone (400);
- the seat's forward portion has a wide W-shape that contours the occupant's upper
legs, wherein the two concave zones (202a, 202b) of the seat's W-shaped forward portion
contours the back sides of the occupant's upper legs, and the very center zone of
the seat's W-shaped forward portion is convex and snuggles the occupant's thighs;
- the seat (200) is inclined backwardly in such a way that, when the occupant intentionally
sits on the forward portion of the said seat (200), his buttocks, pushed by the gravity
force of his body, will gradually glide backward and fit themselves into the said
dedicated concave zone (400) eventually;
- the left side and right side (203a, 203b) of the seat's W-shaped forward portion
are convex so that they contour the outer sides of the occupant's upper legs;
- the seat back (300) tilts backward to stay at an angle of 135 degrees to the seat
(200) and contours the occupant's back, wherein
- the seat back's lowest portion (302) is concave to contour the occupant's buttocks;
- the middle portion (303) is convex to contour the lumbar vertebrae;
- the upper portion (305) is concave to contour the thoracic vertebrae;
- the top is a headrest (306) to provide support to the occupant's head; and
- the left and right edges (304a, 304b) of the seat back (300) are convex so that
the occupant's back cannot bend left or right.
2. The chair (100) according to claim 1, in which the seat (200) and seat back (300)
are made of low-resilient, rather non-resilient, materials to make the chair (100)
more comfortable to sit on.
1. Stuhl (100), umfassend eine Sitzfläche (200) und eine Rückenlehne (300) bestehend
aus nicht dehnbaren Materialien,
wobei
- die Form der Sitzfläche (200) dem natürlichen Umriss des Gesäßes, der Oberschenkel
und der oberen Beine des Sitzenden entspricht, wobei
- der konkave hintere Abschnitt (205a, 205b) der Sitzfläche (200) mit dem tiefsten
konkaven Abschnitt (302) der Rückenlehne (300) verbunden ist, wodurch ein bestimmter
konkaver Bereich (400) entsteht, der eng an dem Gesäß des Sitzenden anliegt;
- sich in der Mitte des konkaven hinteren Abschnitts (205a, 205b) der Sitzfläche (200)
ein kleiner Höcker (206) befindet, der am Kreuzbein und am Steißbein des Sitzenden
eng anliegt, wenn sein Gesäß in den bestimmten konkaven Bereich (400) passt;
- der vordere Teil der Sitzfläche in W-Form weitläufig ausgestaltet ist, sodass er
sich an die oberen Beine des Sitzenden anpasst, wobei die zwei konkaven Zonen (202a,
202b) des W-förmigen vorderen Teils der Sitzfläche sich an die Rückseite der oberen
Beine des Sitzenden anpassen und die genaue Mitte der W-förmigen Sitzfläche des Sitzes
konvex ist und sich an die Schenkel des Sitzenden anschmiegt;
- die Sitzfläche (200) derart nach hinten geneigt ist, dass beim bewussten Setzen
auf den vorderen Teil der Sitzfläche (200) das Gesäß des Sitzenden langsam durch die
Schwerkraft seines Körpers nach hinten gleitet, sodass sich sein Gesäß schließlich
in den bestimmten konkaven Bereich (400) anpasst;
- die linke und rechte Seite (203a, 203b) des vorderen Teils der W-förmigen Sitzfläche
konkav sind, so dass sie an den Außenseiten der oberen Beine des Sitzenden anliegen;
- die Rückenlehne (300) bis zu einem Winkel von 135° zur Sitzfläche (200) nach hinten
kippt und sich an den Rücken des Sitzenden anschmiegt, wobei
- der unterste Teil der Rückenlehne (302) konkav ist und am Gesäß des Sitzenden anliegt;
- der mittlere Teil (303) konvex ist und an den Lendenwirbeln anliegt;
- der obere Teil (305) konkav ist und an der Brustwirbelsäule anliegt;
- der obere Teil des Stuhls eine Nackenstütze (306) ist, um den Kopf des Sitzenden
zu stützen; und
- die linken und rechten Ränder (304a, 304b) der Rückenlehne (300) konvex sind, sodass
der Rücken des Sitzenden nicht nach links oder rechts biegbar ist.
2. Stuhl (100) nach Anspruch 1,
wobei die Sitzfläche (200) und die Rückenlehne (300) aus wenig elastischem Material,
bevorzugt aus nicht elastischem Material, hergestellt sind, wodurch der Stuhl (100)
bequemer zum Sitzen ist.
1. Chaise (100), comprenant un siège (200) et un dossier (300) fait du matériau non élastique,
dans laquelle
- le siège (200) a une forme qui s'adapte au contour naturel du séant, des cuisses
et des jambes en haut de la personne assise, dans laquelle
- la partie (205a, 205b) arrière concave du siège (200) est connectée à la partie
concave la plus profonde (302) dudit dossier (300) ce qui1 crée une certaine zone concave (400) qui est adaptée étroitement au séant de la personne
assise ;
- dans le centre de la partie (205a, 205b) arrière concave du siège (200) il y a une
bosse (206) qui s'adapte étroitement au sacrum et au coccyx de la personne assise
si son séant rentre dans cette certaine zone concave (400) ;
- la partie en avant du siège est réalisée sous forme de « W » étendue qui s'adapte
aux jambes en haut de la personne assise, dans lequel les deux zones concaves (202a,
202b) de la partie en avant du siège sous forme de « W » s'adaptent aux revers des
jambes en haut de la personne assise, et la zone centrale de la partie en avant du
siège sous forme de « W » est convexe et épouse les cuisses de la personne assise
;
- le siège (200) est incliné en arrière de telle façon que si la personne s'assoit
exprès sur la partie en avant dudit siège (200), son séant va graduellement glisser
en arrière poussé par la force de gravité pour rentrer finalement dans la certaine
zone concave (400) ;
- la partie gauche et la partie droite (203a, 203b) de la partie en avant du siège
sous forme de « W » sont convexes pour qu'ils s'adaptent aux parties extérieures des
jambes en haut de la personne assise ;
- le dossier (300) s'incline en arrière pour rester sous un angle de 135 dégrée vers
le siège (200) et s'adapte au dos de la personne assise, dans lequel
- la partie la plus profonde (302) du dossier (300) est concave pour s'adapter au
séant de la personne assise ;
- la partie au milieu (303) est convexe pour s'adapter au vertèbre lombaire ;
- la partie en haut (305) est concave pour s'adapter au vertèbre thoracique ;
- le bout en haut c'est un appui-tête (306) pour soutenir la tête de la personne assise
; et
- le bord gauche et le bord droite (304a, 304b) du dossier (300) sont convexes pour
que le dossier de la personne assise ne puisse pas se tourner à gauche ou à droite.
2. Chaise (100) selon la revendication 1, dans laquelle le siège (200) et le dossier
(300) se font des matériaux peu élastiques, plutôt non élastiques, pour que la chaise
soit plus confortable pour y s'assesoir.